Lara Bergen: Sophie the Hero

Sophie held her breath and kept her eyes down. She watched their sneakers step up to the peel … and stop.

“Check it out,” said Archie. “There’s a banana peel on the floor!”

Sophie felt Kate kick her under the table. Her throat got very tight, and her heart beat a little faster. Was Archie going to pick it up and ruin her plan?

But Archie had something different in mind. “Geronimooo!” he yelled as he jumped and landed— SPLAT! — right on the banana peel.

To Sophie’s surprise, he did not slip. He just jumped off.

“Sweet!” Toby yelled.

The boys high-fived and walked away.

“Aw. Too bad,” said Kate.

The peel looked darker and flatter. But more slippery, too, Sophie thought.

“No, it’s okay,” Sophie told Kate. “The next person that steps on it will slip for sure!”

The only thing was almost every kid in third grade — except Sophie and Kate — had already put his or her tray away.

Ms. Moffly was walking around the cafeteria. “Time to go, class,” she called.

Kate licked the last drop of syrup off her plate and stood up. “Come on, Sophie,” she said. “Recess time. We’ve got to go.”

“I know,” Sophie said slowly. And she sighed — half because she had eaten a brown banana for nothing, and half because she had not gotten a chance to be a hero.

Then, suddenly, Sophie saw something that made her grab Kate’s shoulder. Ms. Moffly was headed straight for the banana peel!

“Uh-oh,” said Kate under her breath.

But Sophie shook her head quickly. Kate did not understand. There was a very clear picture in Sophie’s mind — a picture of her saving Ms. Moffly. If she did that, she would be the biggest hero in the world!

Sophie stood up and pushed in her chair. She was ready to spring into action!

But Ms. Moffly did not slip. Instead, she stopped, bent down, and picked up the peel. The teacher shook her head and tossed the banana peel into the trash can. Then she turned and smiled at Kate and Sophie.

“That was close. I might have slipped!” she said. “Now hurry and clean up, girls. It’s time for recess.”

“That was close!” Kate said as they watched Ms. Moffly walk off.

“I know,” Sophie groaned. “If only she had slipped. That would have been awesome!”

Kate looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I could have saved Ms. Moffly!” Sophie said. “Then I would have been her hero!”

Sophie sighed as she picked up her tray and walked over to the trash can. “Oh, if only she had sli — AGH!”

And that was when Sophie stepped right on the slippery spot where the banana peel had been. Her feet flew up. Her tray flew back. And she landed— OUCH! — smack on her bottom.

Kate ran to her side. “Are you okay, Sophie?” she asked.

Sophie looked down at the syrupy plate stuck to the front of her shirt. The big H was completely covered.

“I guess. But I might need to use your set of Emergency Clothes today,” Sophie told Kate glumly.

Then Sophie looked up to see the fifth graders coming in. It was time for their lunch. Sophie’s sister, Hayley, was walking next to Kim.

“Hey, Hayley,” said another girl. “Isn’t that your sister?”

Sophie quickly closed her eyes. She did not want to see Hayley laugh. Or roll her eyes. Or shake her head.

But then she felt a hand on her arm. “What happened?” Hayley asked.

Sophie shrugged. “Just trying to be a hero. That, and the floor’s a little slippery, I guess.”

Hayley almost rolled her eyes then. But instead, she helped Sophie up. “Try to be more careful,” she said.

“I will,” said Sophie.

Kate patted Sophie’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure she does,” Kate said. Then she added, “Hey, how’s Rumplesnakeskin?”

Hayley smiled. “Oh, he’s good. But he sure freaked out our student teacher today,” she said with a laugh. Then Hayley gave a little wave, flipped her hair, and went back to her friends.

That was when Sophie smiled the biggest smile she’d smiled all day. Not just because she really loved Hayley. But also because her sister had given her a super-amazing, totally heroic idea!

Sophie and Kate headed outside for recess, but Sophie did not plan to stay for long. She had a different plan: to sneak inside her sister’s classroom while the fifth grade was at lunch. She’d find their snake and borrow it to take back to her own classroom.

Then the fun part would start!

Sophie would hide the snake somewhere Ms. Moffly would surely find it. And when Ms. Moffly did find it — and freaked out! — Sophie would run up, grab Rumplesnakeskin, and save the day. Then she would be Ms. Moffly’s hero!

It was simple!

All Sophie had to do was tell the yard monitor that she had to go inside to use the bathroom. And she would go to the bathroom eventually (to wash her hands when she was done moving Rumplesnakeskin).

“Okay, I’m ready! Let’s go,” said Kate.

But Sophie shook her head.

“You know only one girl can go to the bathroom at a time,” she told Kate. “If we both go, then people will know that something is up.”

Kate nodded.“But what if I really have to go to the bathroom?” she asked. “Then what?”

Sophie bit her lip. That was a good question. “I guess you’ll have to hold it,” she said.

“I’ll try,” Kate groaned, trying not to smile.

“Thanks.” Sophie knew she was very lucky to have such a good sidekick. “Okay, wish me luck,” she went on. “I’m going in.”

Sophie got the bathroom pass from the yard monitor. Then she went back into school and hurried toward the bathroom … but she did not go in.

Instead, she turned right and went up the stairs to Hayley’s classroom.

Sophie slipped inside the room and sighed two big sighs. One sigh was because she had just run up three flights of stairs. The other was because no one had stopped her. Yay!

Then Sophie looked around. Wow. Poor Hayley, she thought. Hayley always made fifth grade sound so cool. But it did not look half as much fun as third. For one thing, there were no games. Not anywhere. Not one. And no reading corner with a cozy rug. There were no self-portraits of each student. And no chart to tell you what special job you got to do that week.

All Sophie saw were desks and chairs and maps and charts and boring posters with tons of words. And lots and lots of cursive writing all over the board. Plus thick books that looked like they had four pictures inside — at the most.

Still, Sophie had an urge to sit at Hayley’s desk, just to see what it felt like to be her. But there were no name tags on the chairs to tell Sophie which one was her sister’s.

Oh, well. That was okay. Sophie did not have time to sit. She had to find Rumplesnakeskin.

It was not hard to find his tank at the back of the room. It was big and had a sign on the bottom with his name. But it was hard to find Rumplesnakeskin!

All Sophie could see inside the tank were shredded newspapers, a shoe box, and a bowl of water. She could not believe it! Had someone stolen the fifth graders’ snake before she could?

But then she saw something orange poking out from the shoe box.

“Aha!” she said out loud. “There you are!”

She lifted the top of the tank and carefully picked up the shoe box. Underneath was the snake!